Orlando July 12, 2008

Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute (BASOTI) presents
Orlando
by George Frideric Handel
Thursday, July 10 8:00pm
Saturday, July 12 2:30pm
Sunday, July 13 8:00pm
$30.00 General Admission
$20.00 Students and Seniors
Buy tickets at TicketWeb or by calling 415.383.9600

Conductor Elaine Rinaldi
Director David Ostwald

Full production with orchestra

Orlando, by George Frideric Handel, was first presented in London in 1733. It had 10 performances before it was pulled from the repertoire because of the difficulty of the role of Orlando, which, at the time was sung by a castrato. The bass role of Zoroastro became the presiding genius of the opera. It was revived in 1922 at Halle and the first British revival in 1959, as well as in Florence in the same year. Since then there have been many performances in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Venice, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. Orlando makes a special appeal to modern sensibility with its concentration on the psychological states of characters in a fantasy world lending itself to reinterpretation.

Orlando is torn between conflicting desires for love and glory. Orlando decides that glory can be obtained in pursuit of love. Orlando falls in love with Angelica who in turn has fallen for Medoro. As Angelica and Medoro embrace they are seen by Dorinda, who also loves Medoro. Angelica gives Dorinda a piece of jewelry, but Dorinda would rather have had something from Medoro. Orlando discovers the jewel to be that which he once gave Angelica. Feeling himself betrayed he threatens to kill himself.

Zoroastro then uses his magical powers to whisk Angelica out of Orlando’s reach and taking Orlando up in his arms, flies off with him in his chariot. Upon hearing that Medoro is dead Orlando loses his senses and threatens to kill himself, but Angelica begs him to live on. Medoro, saved by Zoroastro, now implores Orlando to accept the lovers’ betrothal. Orlando, under a statue of Mars, proclaims victory over himself. Dorina agrees to forget her sorrows and all join in praise of love and glory.

BASOTI
Sylvia Anderson, San Francisco Conservatory, Mezzo and Dramatic Soprano, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Rome, Venice, Trieste Operas.
Matthias Kuntszch, renowned conductor of Mozart and Wagner and former principle conductor of the Hamburg State Opera, Munich National Theater, Stuttgart Philharmonic, and General Music Director of the Opera of the Saarland, Lubeck Opera and San Sebastian Symphony. In the US, Opera Colorado, the Utah Opera, Portland Opera and other distinguished houses. Maestro Kuntszch has been the Music Director of the Institute since its inception.
David Ostwald, acting teacher and stage director. Directed productions at the Juilliard School and Wolftrap Opera, West Bay Opera. Author of Acting for Singers, published by Oxford University Press.
Yefim Maizel, assistant director, Metropolitan Opera, St. Petersburg, founder and director, Opera Academy of California
Elaine Rinaldi, conductor, Orchestra Miami

Singers at the BASOTI program come from the top Conservatories and Universities at home and abroad. These institutions include the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, The Juilliard School, Roosevelt University in Chicago, Manhattan and Mannes Schools of Music, Peabody Institute, Westminster Choir College, Lawrence University, the New England and Peabody Conservatories, and the Royal Academy of Music in London.
BASOTI Artists have gone on to careers in opera houses in New York City, Seoul, Paris, Italy, and Germany and some have graduated into Merola program of San Francisco Opera, including Elena Bocharova and Elza van den Heever. Sara Gleeson from BASOTI 2006 won the prestigious Wagner Society Award in New York City, Dana Bhatnager and Monica Yunus are presently in the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Program. Lisa Graf is singing in Germany as is Daniella Boehm, Brent Damkier, Robert Crowe, Marianna Kulikova and Elza van den Heever. In France we have Hjordis Thebault and Letitia Singleton.